Constructional building set

ABSTRACT

A building element for a constructional building set having coupling means for coupling to other building elements included in the building set by cooperation with their coupling studs arranged with mutual modular measures, said coupling means comprising flanges whose side faces are adapted to engage a plurality of the coupling studs on the other building element in a first number of orientations of the building element with respect to the other building element, said flanges being divided into sections so as to form edge faces which serve as engagement faces with the coupling studs in a second number of orientations of the building element.

The present invention concerns a building element for a constructionaltoy building set with coupling means for coupling the element to otherbuilding elements, which are included in the building set, throughcooperation with their coupling studs arranged with mutual modularmeasures, said coupling means comprising flanges whose side faces areadapted to engage a plurality of the coupling studs on another buildingelement in a first plurality of orientations of the building elementwith respect to the other building element.

Such building sets are known e.g. from U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,867,784,5,061,218 and DK patent 120 627. These building sets thus comprisebuilding elements which consist of substantially rectangular boxes,whose underside is open and whose upper side is provided with protrudingstuds. The studs are shaped so as to be insertable from below intoanother building element, such that at least some of the edge faces ofthe studs engage the side faces on the flanges which are formed by theside faces of the box-shaped building element.

Although it is ensured hereby that the building elements can be combinedin many ways, it is, however, a drawback of such existing building setsthat the embodiments of studs and flanges after all restrict the numberof orientations in which a first building element can be positioned onanother. Thus, a building element according to Danish patent DK 120 627can be placed in four different orientations on another building elementof the same type.

However, in many connections, e.g. where one of the building elements isshaped as a chair or another piece of furniture to be placed on anotherbuilding element, e.g. a building plate which serves as a floor, it isdesirable that the piece of furniture can be positioned with moreorientations on the building plate than the number which is limited bythe structure of the known building elements, always provided howeverthat the new and the known building elements are compatible.

This can be achieved using a known chair building element for use inconnection with the building elements of DK 120 627. Thus, this chairelement is downwardly provided with flanges shaped such that, dependingupon the position on another element, they either surround one of thestuds of the other element, or protrude down between four of thesestuds. The flanges are shaped such that the chair element in thefirst-mentioned position has the greatest possible support face, whilestill being capable of rotating freely around the stud-of the otherelement. Although it is thus possible to rotate this element freelyabout a stud, the base face of the element is limited dimensionally bythe distance between two studs opposed with respect to the surroundedstud, in order for this rotation to be possible.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a building elementof the type mentioned in the opening paragraph, which can be oriented inmore ways on a building element of the known type than is possiblesolely using the known building elements, while the base face may bedimensioned larger than the base face of the known chair element so thatthe element is more difficult to overturn.

This is achieved with a building element as since the flanges are thusdivided into sections in such a manner that edge faces are formed on theflanges, said edge faces serving as engagement faces with the couplingstuds when the building element is oriented in another manner than ispossible with the known building elements, it is clear that theseflanges define a periphery for the base face of the building elementwhich intersects the coupling studs in the above-mentioned orientation.Therefore, the size of the base face is not restricted by the spacing ofthe coupling studs, as is the case with the known chair element.

An embodiment of the invention for use in connection with buildingelements of DK 120 627 is preferred, in which the building element maybe rotated approximately 45° with respect to the orientations which arepossible with the known elements, so that the building element may bepositioned in a total of 8 different orientations.

The element may additionally be displaced half a modular distance at anangle of 45° with respect to the modular direction, and with anorientation in one of the modular directions.

When the edge faces have a shape complementary with respect to thestuds, wear in the use of the building element is reduced.

A frictional connection may be established, which makes unintentionalseparation of the elements difficult.

If the building element is provided with additional coupling meanswithin the base face of the rectangle, these additional coupling meansmay support the building element, in particular in the situations wherethere is a great distance between the flange sections.

The additional coupling tubes may additionally serve as additionalfrictional couplings, which may be expedient, in particular inconnection with large building elements.

The invention is particularly advantageous if the building element formsa piece of furniture or the like and the flanges serve as the legs ofthe piece of furniture. The reason is that the increased number ofpositions and orientations of the building element and thereby the pieceof furniture increase the play value of the element, since it is ofgreater use in connection with the furnishing of e.g. a. doll's house,where the floor of the doll's house is formed by a building plate whichis provided with coupling studs.

The building element itself may be provided with coupling studs.

Embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference tothe drawing, in which

FIG. 1 shows an element according to the invention in the form of achair, seen obliquely from above.

FIG. 2 shows the element of FIG. 1, seen obliquely from below.

FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the element of FIG. 1 and FIG.2, seen obliquely from below.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a location of the element of FIGS. 1 and 3 ona building plate having studs.

FIG. 5 schematically shows an alternative location of the element on thebuilding plate.

FIG. 6 schematically shows another alternative location of the elementon the building plate.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the invention in the form of a sofa.

FIG. 1 thus shows an element 1 according to the invention in the form ofa chair comprising a seat 2, a back 3 and four chair legs 4, 5, 6 and 7,of which just the chair legs 4, 5 and 6 are visible. The seat is hereprovided with coupling studs, so that a figure having coupling partscomplementary with respect to the coupling studs may be placed on thechair.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the same chair and shows that the chair legs4, 5, 6 and 7 are positioned in a square pattern. These chair legs 4, 5,6 and 7 are shaped as flange sections which together define a box-shapedcross-section, and where gaps 8, at which the flange sections terminatein edge faces 9, are provided between the individual sections. Thesechair legs 4, 5, 6 and 7 are thereby adapted to serve as coupling means,so that the chair may be coupled frictionally to another element, suchas e.g. a building plate which is provided with cylindrical couplingstuds. This function will be described below in connection with FIGS. 4,5 and 6.

The chair element may e.g. be provided with additional coupling means,as shown in FIG. 3, which shows the same chair element 1 as is shown inFIG. 1 and FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, the chair element is additionally providedwith a cylindrical coupling tube 10. The cylindrical coupling tube isdimensioned so as to frictionally engage the coupling studs on abuilding plate, as will be described below in connection with FIGS. 4, 5and 6.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 thus schematically show how the chair legs 4, 5, 6 and7 on the chair element 1 of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 may cooperate with couplingstuds 11 on a building plate. The coupling studs 11 consist ofcylindrical tubes 11 which protrude upwards from the surface of thebuilding plate.

FIG. 4 thus shows that the chair legs 4, 5, 6 and 7 grip the couplingstuds 11 on the building plate so that the coupling studs 11 engage theinner side of the flanges which are formed by the chair legs 4, 5, 6 and7. This corresponds to the prior art in which ordinary box-shapedbuilding elements have flanges engaging the coupling studs 11. As willbe seen from FIG. 4, the division of the flanges into sections to formchair legs is actually not necessary for the element to be placed inthis position.

If the chair element in FIG. 4 is of the type shown in FIG. 3, thecylindrical coupling tube 10 will engage the coupling studs 11 so thatthe coupling tube 10 touches four coupling studs 11 with its outer face.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative position of the chair element on a buildingplate which corresponds to the building plate of FIG. 4. The chairelement is here rotated 45° with respect to the position shown in FIG.4. The element is retained here in that the coupling studs 11 arereceived and retained by the edge faces 9 of the chair legs 4, 5, 6 and7. According to the invention, this position is permitted solely becausethe flanges formed by the chair legs are divided into section.

If the chair element in FIG. 5 is of the type shown in FIG. 3, thecoupling tube 10, like in FIG. 4, will engage four coupling studs 11with its outer face.

It additionally appears from FIG. 5 how the chair element 1 may beplaced in a third manner on the building plate, the chair element havingthe same orientation here as is shown in FIG. 4, but offset half amodular measure in a direction forming an angle of 45° with respect tothe directions which are indicated by the rows of coupling studs 11. Inthis situation the edge faces 9 of the chair legs 4, 5, 6 and 7 engagecoupling studs 11, arranged diagonally with respect to each other, andthus receive and retain these.

The flanges of the chair legs 4, 5, 6 and 7 may here be shaped so thatthe outer side engages additional coupling studs 11, which contributesto the frictional retention of the element on the building plate.

If the chair element in FIG. 6 is of the type shown in FIG. 3, thecoupling tube 10 will surround one of the coupling studs 11.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the invention, viz. a sofa 12 havingsofa legs 4a, 5a, 6a and 7a which functionally correspond to the chairlegs 4, 5, 6 and 7 on the chair element 1 of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Asillustrated by this element, the idea of the invention is also useful inconnection with elements which have an extent that is greater than theelement shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

It is clear that the embodiments described above do not restrict theapplicability of the invention. Thus, the number of legs or flangesformed by these may be varied depending upon the purpose. In addition,the basic principle, providing a large number of different possiblepositions, may be applied in connection with other types of elementsthan the furniture elements shown, such as ordinary modular buildingblocks and figures, such as animals and the like.

I claim:
 1. A constructional building set comprising a first buildingelement having coupling means for coupling to at least one otherbuilding element included in the building set by cooperation withcoupling studs arranged in a pattern on the other building element, thepattern being defined by a number of modular directions and a mutualmodular distance between closest neighboring studs, said coupling meanscomprising flanges whose side faces are adapted to engage a plurality ofthe coupling studs on the other building element in a first number oforientations of the first building element with respect to the otherbuilding element, the first number of orientations being parallel to themodular directions, and wherein the flanges are divided into sections soas to form edge faces which serve as engagement faces with the couplingstuds in a second number of orientations of the building element, thesecond number of orientations being different from the first number oforientations.
 2. A constructional building set according to claim 1,wherein the coupling studs on the other building element comprisescylindrical studs (11) arranged in a square pattern, wherein the flanges(4, 5, 6, 7) are placed in a pattern which forms a rectangle and thatthe sections comprise the corners of the rectangle so that, when thesides of the rectangle are parallel with the modular directions, theinner side of each corner engages one of the studs (11) and, in anorientation of approximately 45° with respect to the modular directions,engages one or two studs (11) with its edge faces (9).
 3. Aconstructional building set according to claim 2, characterized in thatthe mutual distance between two parallel flanges (4, 5, 6, 7) in therectangle has a size with respect to the modular distance such that theedge faces (9) engage one or two of the studs (11) when the sides of therectangle or the square are parallel with the modular directions andwhen the rectangle is offset half a modular distance in each modulardirection.
 4. A constructional building set according to claim 1, 2 or 3characterized in that the edge faces (9) have a shape complementary withrespect to the studs so as to engage the sides of the studs (11) face toface.
 5. A constructional building set according to claim 1, 2 or 3characterized that at least in some of the possible positions on theother building element the flanges (4, 5, 6, 7) engage the studs (11)with such a force as provides a frictional connection.
 6. Aconstructional building set according to claims 1, 2 or 3 characterizedin that additional coupling means (10) are provided within the base faceof the rectangle or the square.
 7. A constructional building setaccording to claim 6, characterized in that the additional couplingmeans (10) comprise coupling tubes (10) having an outside diameter whichis smaller than or equal to the distance between two studs (11) placeddiagonally with respect to the modular directions, and an insidediameter which is greater than or equal to the diameter of the studs(11), and are positioned such that each of them, in a first number ofpossible positions of the building element on the other buildingelement, extends down between four adjacent studs (11), and, in a secondnumber of possible positions, surround a stud (11).
 8. A constructionalbuilding set according to claim 7, characterized in that the couplingtubes (10) are adapted to engage the studs (11) frictionally.
 9. Aconstructional building set according to claims 1, 2 or 3 characterizedin that the element (1, 12) is shaped as a piece of furniture, and thatthe flanges (4, 5, 6, 7 ) serve as the legs of said piece of furniture.10. A constructional building set according to claims 1, 2 or 3characterized in that the element (1, 12) is provided with couplingstuds at least on the side which faces away from the coupling means.